The Hyped Up Realism of Oleg Dou

OLEG DOU IS A RUSSIAN PHOTOGRAPHER who pushes photoshop to it’s limits. He starts with a photographic portrait, then goes to work. Enlarging and moving the eyes, chaning skin tones—his is an art that closely resembles the digital work found in a movie like James Cameron’s Avatar. It’s real—no it’s not—yes it is! There is a cold, unhuman-like quality to Dou’s work, which is exactly what he wants to achieve. Zombie-like synthetic androids.... this is what mankind’s scientists would end up with if we ever started building humans from DNA. We’d get these “people” — synthetic children for childless couples; sex partners for those willing to go there; soldiers to fight our battles; spouses for those people who prefer someone who will do exactly as they say. Oleg Dou is a master craftsman, an artist making a statement. Is it working? Are these highly-smoothed and manipulated portraits doing something new? Or, is technology leading the horse? You tell me.